Q: I am a midwife, and wonder what advice you would give for nocturnal leg cramps in pregnant women. The suggestions we offer regarding calcium and magnesium intake �?to eat a banana or have a milky drink before bed �?don’t seem to work.

~ Miriam Post, London

A:   In the 1870s, Dr Wilhelm Schüssler, a German homeopathic physician, identified 12 basic salts that are necessary if the body is to function optimally at a cellular level. For your patients, I would suggest that you recommend the tissue salt magnesium phosphoricum, which has a particular affinity with the nervous system and gives relief to spasmodic conditions where nerves and muscles do not cooperate, resulting in cramps.

The advantage of using tissue salts is that it is safe for pregnant women to take them. The salts pass rapidly into the body through the bloodstream, and work gently and quickly to relieve cramps and sharp twinges quickly.

They are prepared in low homoeopathic dosages (usually 6c). You can recommend dissolving nine pills in 200ml of hot (not boiling) water and sipping every 5-15 minutes, depending on the severity of the cramps; once improvement occurs, reduce to sipping every hour or two. New Era No 8 Mag Phos 450 Tissue Salts cost £4.29 (about 8$ Canadian) from  [www.baldwins.co.uk]. { I know these are available from other suppliers here & in the US~ Blue Opal}

Jennifer Harper-Deacon is a registered naturopathic physician. For more information, visit [www.jenniferharper-deacon.com]